Thor: Ragnarok Review: A Hilarious Spectacle from Start to Finish

*Before I start this review, can I just say: please, please, please, don’t be that jerk who spoils a book/movie/show/video game/ any form of media for other people. The weekend before I saw Thor: Ragnarok, I overheard some asshat talk about a major spoiler and it took every ounce of willpower that I had not to punch him in the spleen. I get that spoilers are hard to avoid because of social media, but at least don’t talk about them loudly in public? I honestly hope he got struck by lightning.

Okay, rant over, let’s get this buddy picture (in space) started!

The official synopsis for Thor: Ragnarok reads:

Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk!

Everyone loves a superhero movie, but it can get boring, especially if the protagonists are overpowered. I often find myself more invested in a movie when our hero/heroine has a handicap, and Thor: Ragnarok had me glued to my seat the moment Thor (Chris Hemsworth) struggled to come to terms with the loss of Mew-Mew, which is what Darcy calls his hammer, Mjolnir. (Yes, I missed Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis.)

I used to think of Thor as a puppy, especially in the first Thor movie where he gleefully smiles for a photo, even though he has no idea what a cell phone or Facebook is. In Thor: Ragnarok, his snarkiness has been turned up to 11 and this change is a welcome one. But you’ll still see glimpses of the adorkable God of Thunder in Thor: Ragnarok, especially when he reunites with a “friend from work.”

However, I’ve talked to some friends and while it looks like they all enjoyed the movie, they seem to be divided into two camps: those who thought the humor of Thor: Ragnarok was one of its strong points, and those who thought it was too funny at times. I belong to the former, but while watching the film I did catch myself thinking, “Something horrible is going to happen later, isn’t it? Why are there so many jokes?!”

As an MCU-only fan, there’s not much I can say about the accuracy of the movie’s plot compared to the comics, but the whole movie was such a treat for the senses. I felt like a kid in a candy store, and in every scene I find myself wishing I could press pause to stare at each eye-catching costume and prop onscreen. The soundtrack also sounded like an earnest homage to the musical stylings of the 80s.

I’m definitely checking out director Taika Waititi’s other films because he did such an amazing job with Thor: Ragnarok. In fact, the only negative thing I can say about it is some of the characters I was expecting didn’t show up, and those that did appear only had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it screen time.

So here’s some (A LOT) of the stuff I liked:

I can’t get over the FUNCTIONAL armor for the female characters (no “bikini armor” nonsense, here).

Chris’s arms deserve an acting award. (Bless this man and his workout regimen.)

Jeff Goldblum is a scene-stealer, and his hammy acting was perfect for Grandmaster.

Bruce Banner is a cinnamon bun, and while he takes a backseat to the Hulk in the film, Mark Ruffalo portrayed the human aspect of the character in an adorable way, even though he’s had to digest the fact that he was stuck as the Hulk for a looong time.

I LOVED Cate Blanchett as Hela. She was so deliciously evil, and the character was a worthy antagonist for Thor to go against. And that headgear of hers is killer. Get it? (HA. Haha. Haaaa.)

I’m glad Idris Elba’s Heimdall had several scenes to himself because, let’s face it, both the character and the actor are too badass to waste in a film like this.

I’m excited to see more of Tessa Thompson as Scrapper 142/

SPOILER: ____

Valkyrie

in the MCU. Can you imagine her and Black Widow together in a scene? That would be too badass for words.

I can’t believe I didn’t register Karl Urban’s presence in the trailer for Thor: Ragnarok. He’s proven that he can bring a certain depth and gravitas to a character using only the lower part of his face (I’m mostly kidding but I really did like Dredd), and he shows off more of his comedic skills as Skurge. While I initially thought he was just the “incompetent sidekick” stock character, he gets a share of the limelight as well.

I didn’t recognize the voice actor for Korg, but he had some of the funniest lines in the film.

SPOILER:

Waititi did the voice acting for Korg.

The cameos! I won’t spoil them for you, but keep an eye out for a character from Avengers: Infinity War, and an Asgardian play. And let’s not forget the obligatory Stan Lee cameo, which is hilarious as always.

SPOILER:

Loki’s redemption arc. I like Tom Hiddleston as an actor, but I never liked Loki in the MCU because honestly, he’s such a selfish character. It’s nice to see Loki finally show sincerity. But will it stick? Dun-dun-dun…

Last but not the least, Team Revengers FTW!

Check out the trailer for Thor: Ragnarok below (although I highly advise against watching this as it’s very spoilery):

Sandi Turla is a dorky Ravenclaw. She sometimes talks in the third person and is 50% Troper and 50% fangirl. If you don’t understand what she’s rambling about, TV Tropes can help. (FYI, it can either ruin or enhance your life. You’re welcome.)

She spends her free time on books, TV shows, movies, anime, manga, video games, and fangirling.